Effects of bariatric surgery on COVID-19: a multicentric study from a high incidence area
Description
Introduction: The favorable effects of bariatric surgery (BS) on overall pulmonary function and obesity-related comorbidities could play a role against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This has been investigated comparing Covid-19 incidence and clinical course between a cohort of patients submitted to BS and a cohort of obese candidates to BS during the spring outbreak in Italy. Materials and Methods: From April to August 2020, 594 patients from 6 major bariatric centers in Emilia-Romagna were administered an 87-item telephonic questionnaire. Demographics, Covid-19 incidence, suggestive symptoms and clinical outcome parameters of operated patients and candidates to BS were compared. The incidence of symptomatic Covid-19 was assessed including the clinical definition of probable case, according to World Health Organization criteria. Results: 353 operated patients (Op) and 169 candidates for BS (C) were finally included in the statistical analysis. While Covid-19 incidence confirmed by laboratory tests was similar in the two groups (5.7% vs 5.9%), lower incidence of most of Covid-19-related symptoms, such as anosmia (p: 0.046), dysgeusia (p: 0.049), fever with rapid onset (p: 0.046) were recorded among Op patients, resulting in a lower rate of probable cases (14,4% vs 23,7%; p: 0.009). Hospitalization was more frequent in C patients (2.4% vs 0.3%, p: 0.02). One death in each group was reported (0.3% vs 0.6%). Previous pneumonia and malignancies resulted to be associated with symptomatic Covid-19 at univariate and multivariate analysis. Conclusion: patients submitted to BS seem to develop less severe SARS-CoV-2 infection than obese subjects.